genus acer | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

217 entries found.

(Latin plural genera), 1550s as a term of logic, "kind or class of things" (biological sense dates from c. 1600), from Latin genus (genitive generis) "race, stock, kind; family, birth, descent, origin" (from suffixed form of PIE root *gene- "give birth, beget," with derivatives referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups).

acer (n.)

maple tree genus, from Latin acer, of uncertain origin, perhaps from PIE *ak- "be sharp" (see acro-) and so called for its pointed leaves. There seem to have been two roots for "maple" in Indo-European; cognates of this one are said to include Old High German ahorn "maple," and there is a similar form in Greek akastos "maple," perhaps also Hittite hiqqar- "maple." De Vaan writes, "This may well be a non-PIE tree name which was borrowed into Greek and Latin."

acescent (adj.)

"becoming sour," 1670s, from French acescent, from Latin acescentem (nominative acescens), present participle of acescere "become sour," from acer "sharp" (from PIE root *ak- "be sharp, rise (out) to a point, pierce").

acervulus (n.)

"brain-sand" (anatomical), 1806, medical Latin, literally "little heap," diminutive of Latin acervus "heap," which is akin to acer "sharp" (from PIE root *ak- "be sharp, rise (out) to a point, pierce").

genera (n.)

plural of genus.

selachian (adj.)

"cartilaginous fish resembling or related to a shark of the genus selachii," 1835; the genus name from Latinized form of Greek selakhos (plural selakhē) "cartilaginous fish," which is of uncertain origin.

genotype (n.)

"genetic constitution of an individual," 1910, from German Genotypus (Wilhelm Johannsen, 1909); see gene + type (n.). Earlier the same word was used with a sense of "type-species of a genus" (1897); in this case, the first element is from genus.

Morus (n.)

genus of mulberry trees, from Latin morus "mulberry tree."

schistosome (n.)

"parasite of the genus Schistosoma" (1905); the genus name (1858) is a Modern Latin formation from Greek skhistos "divided, cloven" (from skhizein "to split;" see schizo-) + sōma "body" (see somato-). Related: Schistosomatosis "disease caused by schistosomes" (1906).

Pilobolus (n.)

genus of fungi, Modern Latin, from Greek pilos "felt" (see pileated) + bōlos "a clod, clump."

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